Disney sees dollars in Marvel unknowns

Disney is reportedly hoping to cash in on Marvel's lesser-known superheroes when its acquisition of the comic book company closes on Thursday.

According to The AP, although Marvel's major properties are locked up in studios like Sony Pictures, Disney is hoping to gain from films based on more obscure characters.

"With Marvel, it's not just about Iron Man and Hulk," Caris & Co. analyst David Miller said. "It's all about the other 5,000 characters that you and I don't even know about yet."

Disney stock rose 20% when the purchase was announced a few months ago. Marvel shareholders are expected to give final approval later this week, with the closing of the deal to follow immediately after.

"They picked the right one and they did it the right way," said Gareb Shamus, whose company Wizard Entertainment Group runs several of the Comic-Con fan conventions around the nation. "When you do that you've got a franchise that could last forever."

Disney chief executive Bob Iger added that the company may initially develop new characters on television rather than in movies. Its boy-focused cable channel Disney XD already airs 25 hours of Marvel cartoons every week and recently launched in Japan, as well as in several European and Latin American countries.